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Visit the World Soil Museum

Learn about the role of soils in life and ecosystems and get an impression of the enormous variation of soil types in the world, from the colourful volcanic ash soil from Indonesia to the man-made Terra Preta soil from the Amazon. The museum displays soil monoliths with accompanying data including a full profile description, soil chemical and physical data, and information on the landscape and land-use.

About soils

Soils are truly wonderful. They are the major support systems of human life and welfare. They provide anchorage for roots and hold water and nutrients long enough for plants and micro-organisms to make use of it. In fact, a large fraction of land’s biodiversity lives in the soil, not above the ground. Without soils the Earth’s landscape would be as barren as Mars.